If You Wanna Be My Lover, You Gotta Get With My Dog

Having a pet increases your life expectancy, lowers your stress levels, raises your oxytocin and generally makes you a cool person. My dog is my best friend, my confidant, my cuddle buddy during the night and a damn important part of my life.

Did you know that owning a pet can even keep you from making some pretty bad relationship decisions? Pets seem to have a sixth sense about people and mine isn't afraid to show it!

Trixie (my adorable pocket-sized pup) loves everyone. She even loves cats and birds, thinking she can play with every living thing. I've never heard her growl or act aggressive in my life until my best girlfriend brought her boyfriend over for dinner.

They had been dating for three months, even though everyone told her he was no good. In and out of rehab and coming from a troubled background, he clung to her as if it was his only hope in life. He suffocated her and stifled her other relationships. Her girlfriends (myself included) tried to tell her, but as they say, love is blind.

I invited them both over for dinner and drinks hoping I would see the good in him. Trixie, playful as ever, bounded to the door upon their arrival. Taking one look at my best friend's boyfriend, she backed herself into a wall and growled, showing her teeth and looking as if someone had just beaten her.

I didn't know what to do! Embarrassed about her strange behavior and worried about what might happen, I picked her up and tried to introduce Trixie to this man in the living room.

As he made a few snide comments about being able to "step on her to shut her up" (come on, girlfriend, dump this douche!) he reached out to pet Trixie. That's when Trixie snipped at him. She didn't want this man touching her, let alone be in her house! She didn't draw blood; I think it was just a show but she won.

Dinner and drinks were ruined as the both of them left fairly soon after this. About two weeks later, my girlfriend stopped by for a surprise visit alone and confessed that on the day Trixie snipped at her boyfriend, they had gotten into a huge fight and he violently shoved her into a wall. She broke up with him a few days after this and hasn't spoken or seen him since.

I don't know how Trixie knew but she did. She sensed this man was trouble and was very right. All I know is that any new person that comes into my life has to meet Trixie first!